Pneumatic-despatching-tube system.



No. 847,233. I PATENTED MAR. 12, 1907.

0'. H. BURTON. Y

PNEUMATIC DESPATGHING TUBE SYSTEM.

- APPLIUATION FILED DEO.19,1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

[/VVENTGR Alfamey PATENTED MAR. 12, 1907.

'0. H. BURTON.

PNEUMATIC DESPATOHING TUBE SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED DEO.19,1906

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

[NVE/VTOR To allwhom it mwyconcem:

the followingis-a specification. f This. invention relates'to pneumatic-de- UNITED sr-ArE s PATENT-OFFICE;

CHARLES H. BURTON, or NEW YoRKjN YL.,I.ASSIGNOR TO JOHNv M. Tunes- TON, TRUSTEE; OEWASHIDNGTON, ms'rmo'r or oowmmn:

PNEUMAflG-DES PATOHlNGfTUBE SYSTEM. i

Neat-7,233.

Specification f Letters Patent." 'Pat en ted March 12, 1907.

=Applioation filed Deflflmlidr 19,1906. Serial No, 348,622.

'- .Be it known that I, GHAnLEsH; Bnn'ron a-citizen of the United States, residing-at New York city, in the county-of. New York and Stateof New- York, have. invented cer+-j tain new and useful Improvements in Pneumatic-Despatching 'Tube Systems, Of which sp'atch-tube systems, and has in view certain the greatest possible economy and safety. To-"this end the invention contemplates a 'neumaticdespatch tube system involving in its organization a practical and"efi'ective valve arrangement for the carrier-stations,

- which valve arrangement is a plicable to stal termediate or relay station; imany of which uses the-said valve arrangementprovides for distinctive feature thereof resides in the conautomatically and positivelyreceiving-and deliveringt e carrier orcarrier-cartridge tions operated either as term nal stations'for receiving and sending. purposes or as an .in-

with absolute'safety and certainty. v

With these and many other objects in view', which will more readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, thesame consists inthe novel construction, combination, and arrangement of-parts 'hereinafter more fully described; illustrated, and claimed. "1- 1 The essential, features of the invention are necessarily susceptibleto a wide-range of structural modification without departing from the scope thereof; but a. preferred 'em bodimentof the same is shownin the accompanying drawings, in which' Figure 1' is a top plan view of a, complete pneumatic-despatch-tube system embodying. the invention, the view omittingthe motor- 5' controlling valve device for each carrier-station. Figx 2 is'a sectional elevation on the hne 2 2 of Fig.- 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged sec-" l I I i motor-controlling valve. v

Like references designate corresponding parts inthe several figures of the drawings. a

In carrying .out the present invention a 'lstruction and iautomatic operation of what may be termed the individuah carrier-stations,,which stations are capable of use in any locationthat is, as a receiving-terminal,

as a despatchineterminal; or as a relay-station. In an' o theseiisesthe construction.

and action 0 the improved carrier-station is the same, and, refernngp'articularly thereto, it will 'be observed that each of said carrierstationsiembodies.inits organization a main trap-casing I, inclosi'ng therein what may be characterized as a carrier-chamber in which .,the.despatcl1-'carri er is trapped aiid handled.

At-oppositefen'd portions oi the carrier-chamber -:2zthe trap-casing 1 is provided with. valve-housings 3, which accommodate therein the oppositely-located; and reversely-ar ranged trapping-valves 4 and 5-, respectively, which valves are providedtherethrough wlth transverse, passage-Ways 6 of a shape and sizecorrespondingto the shape and size oi" the transmission-tube through which the carlists are driven or drawn'by pressure or suctlon. The reverse arrangement'of the oppo- I -'site valves 4 and 5 is'such thatione valve oe- .cupies an open'poi'sition while the other 1s clo'sed and vice versa, and this relation is maintainedat alltimes during the'operation of the system and its various stations. 4 Each'ofthe valves 4' and 5 embodies a cy lindiical body portion pierced by the. passage-way 6 and carrying upon one of its spinydle extremities? an exterior mutilated or; partial gear 8, the teeth of WlllCh are adapted I to mesh witha rack-section 9 on one end ofa reciprocating valve-shifting rod 10, wlnch is adapted to be automatically actuated by means of a pneumatic valve-operating motor 11, essentially consistingof a Working cylinder 1 2.and a double-acting piston 13, arranged within the cylinder and mounted upon the rod '10.

The distance H between'the rack-sections Lat opposite ends-of the rod 10 is greater-than the distance between the gears 8 of the oppo- I site valves iand -5, sothat'the opening movement ofpiie valve must be entirely co1n-' plet'ed before the closing movement of the other valve starts,-'and.vice versa, thlsopera tion insuring perfect safety in' the handlmgof the'carriers, as will presently appear.

-The pneumatic valve-operating motor v11 also properly includes'as apart thereof a motor controlling valve device, (designated in its versely through the casing 15 and across entirety by the 'relerencemumber 14.) This valve device essentially consists of a double valve-casing 15, having the separate and distinct'valve-chambers 16 and 17, respectively,-

with both of which cooperate a reciprocat ingvalve 18. The valve 18 preferably consists of a straight bar mounted to slide trans both valve-chambers 16 and 17, the said valve being provided with stop rojections 19 forv limiting its movement in th directions and also with the terminal strike-heads rther explained.

' each ofthe valve-chambers 16 and 17 is provide d with the se arate power-controlling ort 23 and a relic -port 24; the latter being in the form of abridging channel or groove 1 'adaptedto' connect'the interior of the valvepivotally supported beyond the trap-casing 1',-

chamber with the outer air, .while the other port 23 opens up the passage-way through.

the valve-chamber for the suction or pressure, whichever may be employed for work ing the motor, 11. The valve-chamber 16 has apipe connection 25 at one end with one end of the cylinder 12 and a suction or power pipe connection 26 at its other end with a suction-pipe or other point of power-supply in the system. A similar suction or power valve-chamber17,and thelatter also has a pipe connection 28 with the end of the cylinder 12 opposite the pipe connection'25.

The tappet-lever 21, which is adapted to engage'one end of the valve 18, may be conveniently formed as one end of a bellcrank trigger 2-9, whose operating-arm normally lies in the path otthe carrier within the carrier-chamber. 2 of the main trap-casing 1-, so that a carrier, which IS'IDOVGCl lnto said oh amber by hand or otherwise, serves to lift the inner operating-arm of the trigger 9 with the result of moving the valve 18 in one direc.

tion. The valve is returned in the opposite direction by the action of the oppositely-lo: cated lever 22, having aconnecting-rod connection 30 with a second valve-return trigger 31, also preferably in the form of a bell-crank either within or withoutthe transmissiontube, according to the use of the station as a receiving-terminal, a despatchingterminal, or a relay-station.

From the construction described it will be.

obvious that when a despatch-carrier passes through the open valve 4 into the chamber 2 the same moves into engagement with the trigger 29, so that by the time the carrier has completely passed said open valve the motor controlling valve18 will have been shifted to a position for opening up the chamber 17 to the suction through the port 23', thereby applying suction-power to the piston 13-, with be, with the outer a'ir.

I -for receiving "and des atc ing supply connection '27 is made with the other 1. In a pneumatiddespateh system,

the result of moving the rod 10 in a direction for closingthe previously-opened valve 4 and opening the previously-closed valve 5, so that the carrier can pass out through the latter valve. I When this occurs, the carrier passes into engagement with the valve-returntrigger 31, which serves to automatically re .verse the position of the valve 18, and hence reverse the action of the motor. 1 1. When suction is appliedto one side of the piston 13'. the vacuum at the opposite side thereof is rev lieved byone of the relief-ports 24, connecting the cylinder-pipe 2 5 or 28, whichever it may 1A preferable manner of incorporating the stations described in acomplete system is shown in the drawings and consists in arrangin a pair of the stations at the opposite ends of the sending and return transmissiontubes 32 andl33, respectively, the former of said tubes having'a supply-inlet 34- in communication with the outer air, and the tube 33 having a power-supply connection 35 with the pump at the power-station. vAt one end next to the carrier-stations the two tubes 32 each end of'the tubes 32'and 33 is arranged a receiving and despatchin table 37, utilized purposes.

Itwill be observe that t e arrangement described involves the idea of the'itwo carj rier-stations adjacent to each table 37, acting,

carriers, and in this connection it may be noted that Sin this embodiment. of the invention there is utilized the well-known expedient of having the terniinalstations arranged at a slight inclination, so that a carrier when inrespectively, as a despat'ching-terminall)andtoo iIo troduced into the despatching-terminal will roll into the line of suctionand when received into the receiving-terminal will also roll out onto the table after the outermostvalve opens. a

vI claimthe transmission-tube, and a carrierrstation comrange trapping-valves each of which carries a gear, a'reciprocating valve-shifting rod prisin a trap-casing, opposite reversely-ar having op osite rack-sections respectively I engaging t e gears of the opposite valves, said rack-sections being spaced a greater dis:

tanc'e apart than the opposite gears, and a pneumatic operating-motor for said rod.

2. In a pneumatic-despatch system, the transmission-tube, and a carrier-station com- 90 and 33 are connected by a cross cir'culatingprising a trap-easing, opposite trappingvalves, a- Vz'LlVO-'-Sl1 lftillg rod, a double-acting pneumatic o'ierating-niotor for said rod, a motor-contro ling device having a shiftztble valve comprising means for establishing a power and arelief connection with each end of the motor-cylinder, a carrier-actuated trigger within the trap-easing for o' erating said 'inotor-controlling valve in one ireetion, and lo a' valve-return trigger-arranged beyond the trap-easing and adapted to actuate said 1110- tor-controlling valve in the opposite direction.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

v CHAR ES union Witnesses M. II. RAMAGE, CHAS. W. Fisnnm 

